Defining and Redefining Instructional Practice in Special Education: Perspectives on Good Teaching

Abstract

The process-product literature has focused on quantitative measures of teacher behavior that correlate to student achievement of basic skills. In this article, we review the general findings from the process-product literature on effective teaching. We also suggest a conceptual framework for extending our understanding of effective teaching based on recent studies focusing on the qualitative dimensions of teacher behavior associated with the development of higher-order thinking and problem-solving abilities. These dimensions involve teachers' abilities to model cognitive strategies in meaningful and purposive activities, promote classroom dialogues about strategies and processes, responsively adjust instruction on a moment-to-moment basis given their students' changing states of knowledge and abilities, and establish classroom communities in which students collaboratively and cooperatively participate in inquiry-related activities.